About “One Time 4 Your Mind”

This is a slow track when compared to the rest of Illmatic. One might be led to believe that it lightly conflicts with Nas’s claim on “N.Y. State of Mind” that he’s taking rappers through rap slow.
Rather than contradicting himself it displays his ability to weave in and out of mellow bass lines, exemplifying his lyrical prowess and versatility with the mic.

Large Professor (the producer of the track) says in an interview with HipHopDX:

The beats were cool. They were good backdrops, but just the lyrics and the experience that he was putting down over those beats just it is why that album is heralded the way it is today.

What have the artists said about the song?

Nas told this to XXL about the song:

Nas: Honestly, that song was just like, “Hey, we chilling.” That song, I didn’t give a fuck— it was just, go in there & have fun. I wanted Wiz’s voice on that. Out of everybody around, I thought that he had a voice that can be on a record & come off. I always wanted him to rhyme & shit, & that was my way of pushing him into that shit.